Why Will Smith turned down 'Django'

Will Smith turned down the part of Django in "Django Unchained" because it wasn't the lead.

Story highlights

Will Smith turned down 'Django Unchained' because the role was secondary

Smith says he asked director/writer Quentin Tarantino to change the role

In the end, he thought 'Django' was brilliant, just not for him

When Quentin Tarantino's western revenge-fantasy "Django Unchained" was first announced, casting rumors pegged Will Smith as the titular slave-turned-vigilante.

But Smith, who teams with his son Jaden in this summer's sci-fi epic "After Earth," tells EW that he turned down the part because his character would've been second fiddle to the bounty hunter (played by Christoph Waltz) who teaches Django his trade.

"I was like, 'No, Quentin, please, I need to kill the bad guy!'" (Ironically, Waltz was considered a supporting actor during his Oscar-winning award season, while Jamie Foxx was promoted as the movie's lead.)

But no hard feelings: Smith was a big fan of the final product. "I thought it was brilliant," he says. "Just not for me."